Personal communication devices have gained widespread popularity and have dramatically changed the telecommunications industry. In almost all metropolitan areas, for example, additional telephone area codes have been added to accommodate the increasing number of mobile communication service subscribers. It is also true that there has been an increase in the variety of services offered by communication system operators. For example, in many metropolitan areas there are mobile networks that support different types of communications, such as telephone interconnect calls and dispatch calls. More recently wireless mobile data network services have been introduced as well.
One problem that persists is obtaining the calling number of a party the mobile user wishes to call. Most modem communication devices include a semi-permanent memory means for storing numbers and associated names of parties that are frequently called, but if the mobile user does not know or have the number stored, the user will have to find the number. In some instances the user may not know who to call, but merely wishes to find information about local businesses, for example, what hotels are in the area.
With the deployment of mobile wireless networking, where mobile communication devices perform functions similar to personal computers that "browse" the internet, it is possible for people and business to make calling information available to mobile network users in a manner similar to that in which information is made available on the world wide web. Making information available in this manner reduces the need for storing calling numbers in mobile communication devices and directory assistance services since, if a mobile user does not know the number, the user can connect to a networked server and locate the number.
However, a mobile telephone call is subject to certain charges by the service provider. Dispatch calling offers a less expensive alternative to a mobile phone call, and also permits group calls to multiple persons at the same time. These are also known as fleet calls. When incorporating dispatch calling, and the various types of dispatch calling, in information databases, there is a need for a method of initializing the mobile communication device to make the right type of call based on the options selected by the user.